Thirds to nathan tt



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

Patented Oct. 22, 1889. t

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2'. C. 0. FARGIOT. Y

AUTGMATIG RECORDING COMPASS.

No. 413,250. Patented Oct. 22, 1889.

Nv PETERS. Phme-umgmpher. wnhiugmn. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES O. FARCIOT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF TIVO- THIRDS TO NATHAN IV. SPAULDING AND CHARLES GOODALL, OF SAME PLAGE.

AUTOMATIC RECORDING-COMPASS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,250, dated October 22, 1889. Application tiled September 22, 1886. Serial No. 214,269. (No model.)

.To .r/ZZ whom it may concern: nular trough c, containing liquid. This float 0 Beit known that I, CHARLES O. FAROIOT, serves to steady the needle and to prevent of the cityand countyot San Francisco, State oscillation, while allowing it freedom of moof California, have invented an Improvement tion about the pivot-pin. Upon this needle 5 in Automatic Registering-Compasses; and I I iix four marking points or pencils B, C, D,

hereby declare the following to beafull, clear, and E so that they project downward at and exact description of the same. equal distances away from the central pivot Uy invention relates to certain improveof the needle, and preferably between the ments in mariners compasses; and it consists center and the circular float. Beneath the ro of an attachment whereby the course of the compass-bowl, and fixed to it so as to be susvessel may be automatically registered, so pended with itand partake of its movements 6o that upon inspection at any time the course caused by the rolling and pitching of the veswhich has been steered at any given hour or sel, is a clock F,which is sutliciently accurate time may be known. to indicate the time. This mechanism also i5 Referring to the accompanying drawings serves to drive a drum or roller G, over which for a more complete explanation of my inpasses a strip of paper or other material H, 'vent-ion, Figure l is aview of a compass with upon which an impression or mark may be my attachment and suspending device. Fig. made, this paper being driven at a regular rate 2 is a vertical section taken through the cenof speed bythe clock mechanism. The highzo ter. Fig. 3 is a plan view with part of the est point of the table d., over which it passes,

card broken away. Fig. 4 shows a portion ol' is lifted to stand beneath one side of a circle 7o my traveling band or tape, showing the `fioat which would pass through the point of the and mechanism beneath. indieating-markers if this circle were struck Considerable diiiiculty is often experienced from the pivot-pin u. This table is preferably 25 from the erratic steering of vessels when in placed as high as possible within the floatcharge of inexperienced or careless men, so chamber and beneath the workingn points 75 that the vessel may often be found to be a which depend from the needle, so that these considerable distance from her true course, points maybe made very short, and will thereand when approaching dangerous shores it fore not bc moved appreciably out of line by 3o is often the cause of great disaster. In order the rolling and pitching of thevessel. The four to provide ameans for indicating at all times marking-points corresponding with the four 8o the course upon which a vessel has been points of the compass are diiierentlyformed, so steered and provide a permanent memoranthat their marks upon thepapermaybe readily dum for future use, I employatraveling band understood at a glance7 one making a dot,

3 5 or tape, which may be moved by clocleworl; another two dots, a third a short line, and the at a fixed rate, and in connection therewith fourth a small circle; or other characters may indicating-points or markers so connected be used. In order to make a niark. when with the compassneedle that the course will either ol these points is dropped upon the be instantly shown by inspecting the strip or paper strip, l employ an inked ribbon 7L, which 4o surface upon which the marks have been passes across the table above the paper strip,

made. and when a point falls upon it an impression 9o I will. first illustrate my invention as `Iolwill be made upon the paper strip beneath. lows: In connection with this mechanism is a lever A is the needle of a compass, suspended Lupen which the lower end of the pivot-pin a 45 upon the pivot pin or point a within a bowl, of the compass-needle is supported. This lewhich is supported by gimbals in the usual ver is connected with a pawl 5, the end of manner, and the weight of the needle and its which en gages aratchet-wheel K, which is opattachments may be further relieved by an erated by the clock-work, movin so as to raise annular lioat b, which is supported in an anthe pawl, the lever, the pivot-pin, and needle with the marking-points at regular intervals of time. When the lever is raised, the pivot-pin will be raised high enough so that the needle will be suspended by it and free to move and take its proper direction. Vhen this lever is released by the movement of the clock, it yallows the pivot-pin to sink or drop, and with it the needle carrying the marking-points. The point which'is at that time over the line of the paper will fall upon it when the pivotpin is released and will make a mark upon the paper. It will be manifest that the position of this mark will dependl upon the position of the vessel with reference to the compass-needle,` and as long as thegvessel is kept upon a certain course these marks will be made at regular intervals upon the paper and in a regular line as the paper passes beneath the point. The strip of paper may have its surface divided by eight parallel longitudinal lines, so that each division represents a point of the compass, the eight divisions showing four points upon each side of either of the cardinal points-as north, east, south, or west-and as long as the vessel is kept within four points of either of these the mark representing that course will be indicated upon the strip. If the vessel changes her course more than four points upon either side, it will carry the marker or indicator for that course if the edge of the strip, and will bring the next in order upon the paper.

If the direction of the vessel be so considerably changed as to bring one of the other points above the tape and ink-ribbon, it Will be manifest that that point would in like lnanner make a series of marks upon the paper as long as the course continued to be the same, and soon for each of the other marking-points. In order to show the course the vessel may have been on at any particular time, these points are preferably made, yas before described, of different forms, so that one mark may represent the northing of the vessel, and another mark may represent the easterly course, another the southing, and another one the course to the west. By this construction either one or the other of the marks will be imprinted upon the passing strip, and if there should be any irregularity in the course it would be indicated by the marks passing more or less diagonally to one side or the other of the paper; or if the course be very considerably changed the mark of one of the points would pass entirely off the paper and another one would then commence upon .the opposite side. By means of transverse lines t' across the paper the latter may be divided to represent certain intervals of time, so that the exact time of any variation or change of course maybe known. These lines are made at certain regular intervals, so that the tape may travel the distance between any two in a known time, as ten minutes. The

course of a river, inlet, or any tortuous channel would be thus accurately recorded and measured by timing the speed of the vessel, and the minute at which changes of direction occurred during a voyage would always be recorded.

In order to prevent irregular action on account of heavy seas which may strike the vei sel, and which would bythe sudden jar cause the compass to momentarily vary, I employ suspending-arms M, to which the compass and gimbals are attached. These arms converge and unite at a central point above the compass, having joints or hinges at right angles with each other, as shown at N, which thus allow the apparatus to swing easily and independently of the movement of the gimbals. The whole is suspended from a bracket O, which is attached at any convenient point. By means of the transversely-placed hingejoints N the compass can be set on a line with the keel of the vessel. Other devices or wellknown mechanical equivalents may be employed to produce a similar result, which will not dier materially in operation from those herein described.

I am aware that it is old to employ a marking-point with a needle, and also to use a traveling strip adapted to receive at regular intervals marks from said point, and I therefore claim neither of these devices broadly, nor the combination of the two. Y,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secu-re by Letters Patent, is

l. In combination,a compass having a pivoted or suspended magnetic needle, indicating or marking points or pencils arranged at different places upon said needle and at approximately equal distances from the pivot, each of said points being adapted to make a distinctive mark, and a surface' upon which the said indicating-points may inscribe their marks, whereby the course of the vessel with any variations thereof, and also all complete changes of course, will be automatically indicated by the different marking-points being brought into action and making different marks upon said surface.

2. A compass having a centrally suspended or pivoted magnetic needle, with a series of indicating or marking points fixed to it in a circle around the central pivot, each of said points being adapted to make a distinctive mark, a surface or tablet beneath the needle, and a clock work or mechanism by which said surface is moved at a uniform rate of speed, in combination with a lever or equivalent mechanism connected with the clock, whereby the needle with its marking-points and the indicating-surface may be made to approach each other at regular intervals, substantially as herein described.

3. In combination, a centrally-suspended magnetic needle having marking-points arranged about its center corresponding to the various points of the compass, each of said marking-points being adapted to make a dis- IOO IIO

tinctive mark, and a strip with which the marking-points may be separately brought into contact, said strip being divided by tra-nsverse lines and moved at a uniform rate, whereby the times at which the vessel changed its course or deviated from its mean course may be automatically recorded.

4. In combination, a pivoted magnetic needle having marking-points depending therefrom, a receiving-surface arranged below the needle, said points being adapted to mark upon said surface, an annular float depending from the said needle, and an annular chamber containing-liquid, all substantially as described.

5. In combination, a magnetic needle having marking-points B C D E having distinctive characters, said points being held rigidly to the needle and depending therefrom, a surface adapted to receive the marks from said points, a central pivot-pin for the needle, the Whole structure-viz., needle, pivot-pin,and depending pointsbeing adapted to have vertical movement, a lever or arm engaging with the pivot-pin, and an arm connected With said leverand actuated by clock-Woik,Wl1ereby at regular intervals the pivot-pin and needle will be raised, lifting the depending point from the receiving-surface, so that the needle Will be free to turn and drop bygravity at regular intervals.

G. In combination, a magnetic needle supported upon a central pivot-pin, markingpoints having distinct characters arranged at different points in a circle about the needlecenter, and a marking-surface placed tangential to the path of the marking-points,Where by the said points separately engage with the inarkingsurface, substantially as described.

A pivoted magnetic needle having marking-points depending therefrom, an annular float Iixed beneath the needle, and a correspondin chamber containing liquid in which the float rests, in combination with a table supported within the inner circumference of the liquid-containing chamber and above the plane of its bottom and a traveling tape or receiving-surface upon the top of said table in avertical line beneath one side of t-he circle in Which the marking-points are arranged, substantially as herein described.

8. A pivoted magnetic needle having marking-points projecting downward at intervals in a circle around the pivot, an annular iioat xed beneath the needle in a circle of larger diameter than that of the markers, anda similarly-shaped annular liquid-containing chamber Within which the vfloat dips, in combination with a receiving-surface and table and a lever by which the pivot-pin and needle are alternately elevated and depressed, all arranged Within the inner circumference of the annular chamber, substantially as herein described.

9. A pivoted magnetic needlehavingmarking-points projecting downward from it in a circle around its pivot, an annular float, and chamber With a table to support a receivingsurface beneath one side of the circle of the marking-points, as shown, in combination With a traveling receiving-surface moving across the table and an ink or printing ribbon passing across the table transversely to the receiving-surface.

lO. A compass-needle fnlcrumed upon a pivot and float Within a bowl having giinbals, as shown, in combination with arms extending u pWard from the supporting-frame and the hinged suspending-joints N, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof l have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES O.' FARCIOT.

W'itnesses:

S. H. Noni-isn, JAMES MASON. 

